Forgetting Themselves
by Lodylodylody
Summary: Barry does an experiment with Cyd and Shelby's time travel abilities. Naturally, something goes wrong. Sometimes however, something going wrong can lead to something going right.
1. Chapter 1

"What's in the fridge, Barry?" Cyd asked as she entered the refurbished garage that served as Barry's science lab.

"Cyd," the intelligent teen said with a hint of exasperation. "I did not ask you and Shelby over to raid my refrigerator."

"What?" The blonde girl accompanying Cyd looked slightly offended. "I did not come here to raid your fridge." She went over to the nearest couch and made herself comfortable. "I'm on a diet."

"I'm not," the tomboyish brunette said happily as she plopped down on the couch next to Shelby, and began tearing the wrapping off the snack cake she'd raided from the refrigerator.

Barry kept adjusting the device on his work table and did not say anything else to the two young women at first.

"Still trying to give yourself time travel powers?" Shelby asked.

"Not at the moment," he answered. "Though it's only a matter of time before I recreate the accident that gave you two your abilities." He stopped working on his machine and turned to the girls. "And my new invention should produce valuable data that can help me with that goal, but more importantly, make time travel a little less hazardous for the two of you."

Naturally both Cyd and Shelby had their interest piqued by those words.

"What do you mean?" the blonde asked.

"If my calculations are correct, I've found a way to make your tachyons more stable."

Cyd shrugged. "And that means what?"

"It means that when you travel back to a time before you were born, you won't be subject to chronal identity degradation."

Cyd shrugged once more. "And that means what?"

Barry rolled his eyes. "It means, you won't be in danger of losing your memories and being trapped in the past."

"Really?" Shelby said excitedly. "That would be such a relief."

Cyd nodded in agreement. Most of the time jumps she and Shelby made were to the recent past or near future. In such cases, their minds would inhabit the bodies of their younger or older selves. If they traveled back to a time before their birth however, they would be physically transported to that era. Existing in a time outside of their natural lifespan however carried extra risks, as both girls had discovered when a trip to the 1970s had nearly ended in disaster. Because they were 'foreign' to that time period, their brains had tried to 'adapt' and made them believe they were natives of that time. In the process they nearly forgot not only their time travel abilities but their identities and their friendship.

Ever since that incident, whenever circumstances sent them traveling back before they were born, both girls made sure to never leave the other's side. That way they could remind one another of who they were if either of their memories started to become fuzzy.

"Just step over here," Barry directed his friends. "Prepare for a time jump...but only a very short one, thirty seconds into the past should be fine." He turned back to the machine. "But don't jump until I tell you to."

The girls waited while the science-minded teen activated his machine. When he did so, they noticed some familiar glowing particles appearing around them.

"Tachyons," Cyd said. "But we haven't done anything yet."

"No, my device is generating these, When you time jump, these tachyons should interact with the ones you generate and produce the desired result."

"Then should we jump now?" Shelby asked.

Barry checked his machine once more before answering. "I'd say...now."

As the girls joined hands and began their time jump however, Barry's eyes widened in alarm. The readings on his device were not even close to his projections.

"Wait-" he began.

But that was the only word he spoke before the room started spinning.

******'******

Roughly fifteen minutes after Barry had told his friends to start their time jump, the haze that had fallen over each of their minds faded. Though they had no way of knowing, they all reacted in exactly the same way at that moment.

They each wondered where they were.

They each looked around and saw they were alone.

And they each felt a sudden jot of anxiety surge through them as a sudden realization hit them. A realization that could be expressed in a simple thought.

 _I don't know who I am!_

 _ **To be continued...  
**_

 _ **author's note:** Please review. Feedback really helps me write. So tell me what you liked and what you didn't. Thanks.  
_


	2. Chapter 2

What had happened in Barry's lab would actually have been easy enough to explain, except for the fact that the only three people who had been there to witness the event had no recollection of it.

Shelby and Cyd had not been able to time jump. The tachyons generated by Barry's machine had not mixed well with the energy particles that Cyd and Shelby generated when they used their time travel power. The result had cased a low frequency 'energy storm'...a storm that fortunately hadn't done any irreparable damage.

Still, there had been damage...to the brain cells of the three teenagers.

At first, their conscious minds had shut down almost completely. They became unaware of their surroundings and each other...and each wandered aimlessly in an almost trance-like state.

Each went their own way once they left Barry's lab, all the while their brains were slowly recovering. Eventually they came out of their trances, though their memories were still incomplete.

Barry looked around and observed his surroundings. While he still had no idea who he was, his first thought was to try and look at things logically.

"Gather information," he said quietly to himself. "Examine data. Form hypothesis."

It didn't take him too long to conclude he was in a park. A fairly secluded area of the park at that. After exploring a little he did see other people, none that he recognized however. Which he didn't find surprising.

"I may know some of these people," he mumbled to himself. "But with my memory clearly not working, there's no way for me to know."

He didn't approach anyone. He merely kept observing, hoping that perhaps some feeling of familiarity might come to him, or failing that...someone who knew who he was would recognize and approach him.

As he waited, he thought to check his pockets for any useful clues. His effort was rewarded when he pulled out a school ID card.

"Barry Eisenberg," he said as he read his own name. "West Portland High School."

This information caused a number of thoughts to rush through his mind. He knew what a high school was. He knew that Portland was a city in the state of Oregon in the United States of America. Indeed, he found he had a great deal of knowledge when it came to geography, history, and many other areas of general knowledge.

Specific personal information was another matter.

"Barry Eisenberg," he said again. "Barry."

Sadly, repeating the words caused no other memories to spring forth.

"It's a nice name at least," he sighed.

******'******

Shelby was beginning to get scared.

She didn't know where she was. She didn't know who she was. And how the heck did she end up in the middle of these bushes?

From what she could tell, the bushes she was hidden in were located in someone's backyard. Was it her yard? Did she live in that house? If she lived there why wouldn't she remember it though? Nothing made sense!

As she continued lurking behind the leaves, wondering what she should do, the back door of the house opened and out came a short, chubby redheaded boy. A moment later, an exact double of the first boy followed. Causing Shelby to fear she was losing her mind completely.

 _No, wait_ , she thought as she observed the two boys start to play catch. _They're twins. Identical twins_.

She heard them call each other by their names, Bret and Chet. With every passing moment, a small feeling of familiarity began grow stronger.

 _I think I know them._

Eventually one of the boys missed a catch, and their ball bounced over next Shelby's hiding place. She shrank back as the twin closest to her came to retrieve the ball, but failed to stay hidden.

"Shelby?" the boy said. "What are you doing here?"

"Shelby?" she asked. "Is that my name?"

The boy gave her a confused look as his double came over and joined them.

"Why are you asking if it's your name?" the first boy asked.

"So, you know me?" she replied in a tone both apprehensive and hopeful at the same time.

"Uh, you're our sister," the second boy answered.

******'******

Cyd only knew two things for sure.

The first was that she was very close to freaking out.

The second was that she didn't enjoy that feeling.

Her wandering had taken her to a park. Specifically, it had taken her to a hot dog cart located in a part of the park that saw a lot of pedestrian traffic. She had a vague feeling that she'd come here before...or maybe she was just fond of hot dogs. And burgers. Pizza. Potato chips. Candy bars.

 _Okay, I love food_ , she thought. _But that's not helping me right now!_

Indeed, she's sadly discovered her pockets were empty. Not only had she no clues to her identity, she didn't have any money to buy a snack. Of course that only made the aroma of the hot dogs all the more noticeable.

She turned and walked away from the food cart, a sullen expression on her face. That was when she noticed the guy staring at her.

Staring at her very intently.

Cyd found this confusing, as she was sure she didn't like being stared at in such a manner. Yet for some reason, in this instance...she didn't mind it at all.

******'******

 _Do I know this girl?_ Barry thought. _How would I know this girl?_

While he had no answers to those questions, he couldn't shake the odd familiarity that he felt as he watched the fair skinned girl with the long dark hair. He realized he was staring, and that she had noticed him doing so...but he didn't avert his gaze. Maybe she could offer more information about who he was.

Besides, she was nice to look at.

******'******

Shelby found her brothers to be very helpful. Her memory still didn't feel quite right, but the more the twins told her...the more familiar certain things seemed.

For their part, Bret and Chet thought their big sister was just trying some sort of new game with them. They enjoyed it for a while, answering her questions with no hesitation. Eventually however, they grew bored and simply led her up to her bedroom before returning to the yard to find new ways to entertain themselves.

Luckily, Shelby found something even more informative than her brothers once she was in her room. She found her diary.

******'******

"You know me?" she asked as she walked up to the young man staring at her.

"I actually don't know," he answered. "I was going to ask if you know me."

She frowned. "That is a horrible pick up line."

"But you just said the same thing to me," he protested. "Wait...were you trying to-"

"No!" she said quickly, cutting him off. "I was asking you if you actually knew me because..." Her words trailed off and she seemed to wilt a little before speaking again. "I don't know who I am."

Barry's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Are you saying you don't remember?"

She nodded.

"I have the same problem! I found myself wandering in this park and had no idea how I'd gotten here or where I came from." He pulled out his school ID card. "I wouldn't even know my own name if I didn't have this."

Cyd examined the card. The name of the school rang a bell, but it was the name of the young man that resonated even more.

"Barry," she said softly as she glanced back and forth between the card and his face. "I think we do know each other."

"I'd say we must," he replied. "Odds are we shared some experience that affected both our memories.

"At least you know your name. My pockets were empty."

He started staring at her again...but in a slightly different way.

"Until we can find some way to identify you, I'll call you...Caprice."

"Caprice?" She looked at him oddly. "Why Caprice?"

"It shares an origin with the word capricious. Which is a synonym for impulsive, mercurial, volatile, temperamental, whimsical, quirky and fanciful." He paused. "It just seems to suit you."

"Some of those words sounded like compliments," she replied.

A hint of redness appeared on Barry's cheeks. "That was my intention."

A smile came to the girl's face. "Um...thanks."

******'******

The more Shelby read of her diary, the more her memory came flooding back.

It was fortunate that it had completely returned before she got to the most recent pages, otherwise she'd never have believed what was written there.

"Time travel! Cyd and I can travel through time!" she exclaimed. "The lab...something happened...I remember it all!"

Moment later she was running out of the house and next door to Barry's garage.

 _They aren't here_ , she thought worriedly. _But where are they?_

Her worry only increased as she pictured her two friends wandering the streets with no memory of who they were. She imagined them frightened and vulnerable.

It never occurred to her to imagine them walking through the park and holding hands.

 _ **To be continued...** _

_**author's note:** Enjoying the story so far? What do you think will happen? Please review._


	3. Chapter 3

Neither Cyd nor Barry had any luck at remembering more details of their lives, but there was a definite feeling of comfort that they each felt being in the presence of the other.

They started holding hands without even being aware of it, and as they walked together more than one passer-by would glance towards them and assume they were two teenage sweethearts enjoying a romantic stroll.

Of course, their conversation was a bit different from what most boyfriends and girlfriends chatted about.

"The best thing to do would be to go to our the school. They'd have records on us as students, and if nothing else we'd find out our home addresses," Barry said.

"You would," Cyd replied. "I still don't know my own name. How do I explain that?"

"We'll figure out something." He squeezed her hand slightly as he spoke, trying to reassure her.

She responded by leaning against him as they walked.

"So we know each other," she said, trying to review the few things they had concluded about themselves. "And something happened that made us forget everything." She paused. "We're probably good friends."

Barry didn't reply to that, causing Cyd to study his expression.

"You don't think we're friends?" she asked.

"It would be nice," he said. "But logically, it seems...less than certain."

"Why would you say that?"

"From what I've been able to observe, I seem to be the type of person who enjoys school, am not particularly athletic nor up on the most popular trends. I don't have any specific memories to point to...but more of a general feeling that's how I am." He paused. "The kind of person that some might label a nerd."

"And you think I wouldn't be friends with you because of that?"

"You strike me as someone...well, there's something about you...it's just that you seem..."

Growing impatient with Barry's hesitancy, Cyd spoke in a confrontational tone.

"How do I seem to you?

"You seem very...cool, for lack of a better word," he answered. "Even now when we're both unsure of ourselves, you project a certain confidence. You're probably something of a rebel...the kind who doesn't love school overly much. Maybe you're even a bit of a troublemaker, though that doesn't keep you from being very popular."

"Why would I be popular?"

"Why wouldn't you be?" Barry went on. "You have this natural charisma that no doubt draws people to you. To say nothing of how beautiful you are."

Cyd stopped walking then, halting Barry as well.

"You think I'm beautiful?" she asked.

"Beauty is subjective," he started to explain but his tone shifted as he continued, becoming less clinical and more emotional. "In my opinion however, you are...very beautiful."

Cyd smiled shyly as she blushed.

******'******

Shelby didn't know what to do.

Her friends could be anywhere. How could she find them?

If she called the police, how could she explain the situation? If she told them the truth, they'd probably think she was trying to pull some sort of prank.

So for the moment, she was on her own. There was nothing she could do put pick a direction and walk...hoping that luck would lead her to Cyd and Barry.

******'******

"So you have no proof we aren't friends?" Cyd asked.

"No. It's just more likely that we're classmates."

"Because we're so different?" Cyd looked into his eyes. "But if we aren't friends, then why does this..." She squeezed his hand...the hand she'd been holding for some time. "...feel so nice?"

"It does feel nice," Barry commented in a soft voice.

"So we could be friends."

"It's a possibility."

"We could be...more than friends?" Cyd felt her heart beating harder as she said the words.

Barry's response came out as a whisper. "I couldn't be that lucky."

Slowly, they started to lean closer to one another.

"Caprice," he said.

"That's probably not my name," she replied. "But I like the way you say it."

"Caprice," he repeated, but in an entirely different tone.

Then they kissed.

******'******

Shelby was feeling more and more hopeless as she entered the park.

Then...she saw them. It was a miracle! She'd found Cyd and Barry!

She found them just in time to see them kiss.

And suddenly, Shelby was feeling an entirely different emotion.

******'******

As kisses went, it would have been a great one judged strictly on its own merits.

However, the accident that had robbed the teens of their memories ensured that this particular kiss had even more going for it.

Their memories were ever so slowly fighting to reassert themselves. At the same time, each of them still had a few stray energy particles coursing through their bodies. Lingering residue from the energy storm in Barry's lab.

So when their lips touched, and then kept touching, an energy particle in Cyd's body drifted over and collided with one in Barry's body.

The result was magical.

They ended the kiss and looked at each other.

"Barry?!"

"Cyd?!"

All their memories were restored. They knew who they were. They remembered everything.

Including everything that had led up to their kiss.

"You think I'm beautiful," Cyd said softly.

"We kissed," he said back.

Her response was to pull him to her and kiss him again.

******'******

 _What is happening?_ Shelby thought in alarm.

She had to conclude that her friends were doing this because they didn't know who they were. Even so, the sight of them kissing was still shocking to the blonde.

Almost as shocking as just how jealous the sight made her.

 _I need to put a stop to this right now!_ she thought as she began marching towards them. _They don't know what they're doing!_

******'******

Cyd and Barry ended their second kiss and gazed into each others eyes.

"I don't believe this," he said. "Is this really happening?"

Cyd nodded. "You're a great kisser."

"Does this mean...would you like...could we..."

"Go out sometime?" she finished the thought for him. "I mean...if you want to?"

"I...do want to." Things may have been moving fast, but he did know that much. He also knew that the feelings he was experiencing now were even greater than he'd felt for his old girlfriend Marci...before she'd moved away and their relationship had ended.

The two teens kept staring at each other in a love struck fog...until a thought hit Cyd like a sledgehammer.

"Oh no! SHELBY!"

Her worried cry snapped Barry's mind back to attention, and he became just as worried. "She would have lost her memory too! We have to find her!"

"But how?"

"Let's go back to the lab," Barry answered. "Maybe we can find-SHELBY!"

Cyd turned and saw the same sight Barry just had. Her best friend was standing right there.

"SHELBS!" she cried out as she rushed forward and threw her arms around the blonde. "Are you okay?"

"Shelby, do you know who you are? And who we are?" Barry asked.

The surprised blonde looked to her two friends. "Yes, I do. But you two...your memories are..."

"Just fine," Cyd answered. "It took a while, but we're back to normal."

"That kissing was NOT normal!" Shelby shot back.

"Oh," Cyd replied. "You saw that?"

"I most certainly did," the blonde huffed.

"You seem upset," Barry commented. "Are you sure you're alright? Maybe there are some after effects from the accident."

Cyd had another theory for her friend's mood.

"Are you upset that Barry and I kissed?" the brunette asked.

"Of course I am," came the answer. "I was worried out of my mind for you! Then I find you and see you making out and I'm like 'ohmigod, they don't know what they're doing'!"

"But we did know what we were doing," Cyd answered.

Shelby's only response was a surprised look.

"At first we didn't know who we were," Cyd explained. "I was scared, but being with Barry made me feel better." She leaned closer to her best friend and whispered. "He told me I'm beautiful, Shelbs."

The blonde stayed silent as she looked at her friend. She could see the excitement in Cyd's eyes. Excitement and happiness.

"And you like Barry?" she asked. "I mean...'like' him. For real?"

"I think I do."

"This is all a surprise to us too," Barry said as he stepped forward. "But, I realize I do feel something for Cyd."

Shelby didn't miss how her two friends took hold of one another's hands as the stood next to each other. Nor the way they each blushed ever so slightly when they exchanged glances.

"So...you two are going to date now?"

"We're going to go out," Cyd answered. "See what happens."

Shelby was still feeling a great deal of jealousy, though she wasn't entirely sure why. However she also felt something else as she studied the expressions on her friends' faces.

"Oh...you guys," she said. "You're so adorable." She stepped towards them both with a smile, but that smile vanished suddenly as she focused her attention towards Barry.

"You break her heart and I'll make your life miserable," she snarled. "You understand me, science-boy?"

He nodded, and Shelby's threatening demeanor disappeared as she smiled again and hugged them both.

******'******

Time went on and, fortunately, Barry never gave Shelby any reason to make his life miserable.

Cyd and Barry, to the surprise of many who knew them, proved to be a wonderful couple. All the people that cared about them were glad to see how happy they made each other.

Though they did wonder why Barry sometimes called Cyd 'Caprice'...and why'd she'd always blush and smile sweetly whenever he did so.

 _ **The End.**_

 _ **author's note:** My third story for **Best Friends Whenever** and so far I've had Cyd paired with (or at least kissed by) a different character each time. Gee, someone would think I like Cyd or something. Please review._


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